Soap And Glory Wonderbronze

I'm been using Benefit Hoola religiously for bronzing on contouring everyday for over a year now, and I've finally come to the end. Although I love that bronzer (like serious, it's incredible) I'm always happy to try something else. Soap & Glory have been my go to drugstore brand of choice over the past year, and after loving Solar Powder, I decided to give it's more shimmery counterpart a whirl. It retails at £11 which is over half the price of my Hoola, bonus.

Let's start with the packaging; unlike Solar Powder, Wonderbronze is a plastic compact. Inside it has a large mirror which is handy for people like me who don't ever carry mirrors in their handbag. The compact clicks shut easily and seems to take a good battering being bumped about in my bag on a daily basis. The bronzer itself is incredibly shimmery, which usually is the opposite of what I'd go for. However, it does have a multi wheel of shimmery tones from more deeper bronzers to the brightest of highlighting tones.

So how does it apply then? I expected this to be strongly pigmented and glittery when applied but it's actually surprised me. It quite sheer although you can build it up obviously, but I wouldn't recommend it for contouring if you like a stronger contour like myself. When the colours are mixed together on a brush, it leaves you with a golden toned bronze which is perfect for adding some glow and sun kissed colour onto the face. It doesn't look over shiny or have large shimmer partials, making it quite natural and very wearable. Overall, I really like this bronzer, but just as that, I think Hoola will have to get a repurchase to satisfy my contouring needs.

Top Tips For Achieving The Perfect Nails

Working on a bar can be pretty tedious on your hands, especially nails. So I've been making an extra effort to get my talons back in tip top condition. With colder weather and gloves out of the question, your hands are pretty much on show all the time. I know how crappy I feel looking down at my over bitten nails and scratched/cut hands so summer is the perfect motivation to making them look pretty and presentable again. 

Here are my top tips for achieving and maintaining healthy and presentable nails over summer:

Keeping your hands and nails well moisturised. I'm constantly in contact with cleaning chemicals and will wash my hands on average about 10 times a day if not more at work. I have sensitive skin so this just dries out and irritates my hands and nails. By keeping a small bottle of hand and nail lotion in your hand bag and popping it on every time you wash your hands will dramatically improve the condition of your skin and nails.

Filing them to a realistic shape and length. As a lover of acrylic nails, I know it can be tempting to keep on growing your nails to as long as possible. But we all know how this ends, breakages. The best well to maintain a full hand of nails at the same length is to keep them to a reasonable short length. I've also found that rounding them off as opposing to keeping them square causes less splits and peeling on the edges.

Drink plenty of water and keep calcium levels high. I find when I'm going through periods of drinking more water and eating better foods such as fish, white meat and eggs. My nails seem to be stronger and healthier and therefore are easier to maintain and suffer less breakages.

Use a good quality nail varnish remover. As tempting as it can be to pick off and peel nail varnish or use any old remover you can find, it really is important to remove traces of polish properly. I use the Cutex Nourishing Nail Polish Remover, it leaves my nails feeling moisturised and healthy and removes every scrap of polish.

Use a good quality polish. I used to love Barry M polishes and could pick up 3 for under £10. But after using more expensive brands such as Essie, I've noticed a massive difference in the quality of the polish; it lasts longer, dries quicker and therefore looks better.

Use a quick drying nail spray. When you've finished painting your nails, invest in a quick drying spray and spray it over your nails after every coat you apply. Your nails can still smudge if you press them against texture but it initially dries them much quicker than leaving them to dry out.

Don't leave the same polish on for weeks. I hate chipped nail polish so I usually remove my polish every 3-5 days anyway. But if you're not like me, try and remove your polish once a week, and give your nails bare a day or two to breathe which will prevent them from yellowing and staining.

The Fitness Journey So Far

I think this post has been a little bit of a long time coming sort of thing. I didn't make any resolutions at the beginning of 2016; I'd just come out of a relationship, I'd recently been promoted, I was half way through my second year of university and I just felt like I deserved some me time, no rules apply. I've always been petite but I can't put it down to hard work, a naturally high metabolism and self control over not overeating has served me well over the years. But I know I'm not fit, climbing a flight of stairs or running anything over 30 seconds left me tired and struggling to breathe.

I'd been great at going to the gym when my friends were at university, it's easier to train amongst over people, you all motivate each other and get a little competitive. But being on my own most of the time during second year has left me lazy and unmotivated. I decided to start join the gym again in January like most people do, but I've actually stuck to it. In fact, I've became quite the gym junkie. I even learnt to enjoy cardio, I know, insane lady!

The journey so far has been a bumpy one, some weeks I'll be super motivated, eat as clean as possible and train 3-4 times a week, or weeks I do nothing. I've found the biggest obstacle to conquer is the barrier you create yourself through lack of motivation. It's easy to snooze your alarm until the last minute for work or get back from work and collapse on the sofa and not move the whole night. The nights I push myself out of a post work nap to go for a 5k run are becoming more common, shocking. It's going to take me a little longer to maintain any sort of motivation with weights though.

I don't find it easy to stay so thin these days though, my yo-yo eating habits have left me with an un-flat stomach that refuses to show any abs and a dominant quads which wobble when I walk. My self image probably isn't very favourable and therefore I never weigh myself or measure myself because I'd just go to extreme lengths which wouldn't be healthy. Instead I measure my progress by my general wellbeing. When I'm on top of things, I find it easier to sleep, wake up, I feel better within myself, I feel happier and I tend to maintain higher levels of energy throughout the day.

I guess the main reason for me putting this post out is to give myself a bit more motivation to carry on with this all. I've fallen off the horse many times this past 5 months and I'd really like to make some solid progress throughout the rest of the year. So expect a few more fitness related posts, tips, foodie diaries etc. And don't hesitate to drop me any questions you may have, I'd be happy to answer them.

Keeping Things Simple...

I'm not one to dabble in skincare that doesn't grace a high end counter; with trying to be more money savvy and going through an absolute mare with my skin the past few weeks, I'm willing to give anything a try. Going through my teens with horrendous skin taught me a lesson that less is more, especially if you have super sensitive skin like mine. I've found that the more natural and less harsh, the better my skin will react to it. Simple was a massive part of my skincare years ago, with it's basic and natural ingredients I thought I'd give it another go in a bid to clear my skin up.

I picked up the Refreshing Facial Wash Gel, Soothing Facial Toner and Protecting Moisture Cream SPF 30. With hotter weather making a comeback, I wanted to keep my skincare as refreshing yet hydrating enough to keep me protected through the sunny days. Simple says no to  harsh, artificial perfumes and colours that can upset your skin, which means it'll be gentle enough for the most sensitive of skin types. It's early days using the products but I thought I'd give you a mini review on my thoughts so far...

Simple Kind To Skin Refreshing Facial Wash: Being a classic, I'm sure most of you will already know the stich on this one. A light refreshing gel wash used with warm water twice a day, doesn't contain any soap but foams up nicely leaving you feeling squeaky clean without stripping the skin of it's natural oils. Perfect for those of you with oily/combination skin. Doesn't irritate or break me out, top trumps for this one!

Simple Kind To Skin Soothing Facial Toner: I never see toner as an essential but I'm gonna try and stick out all 3 steps religiously. This will always remain the only toner I can use without breaking me out or causing irritation to my skin. Extremely gentle, applied onto a cotton pad and swept over my face after cleansing twice a day. I don't feel it does a whole lot and cold water splashed over your face after cleansing does as good a job at closing the pores. But does feel lovely and refreshing and catches pesky bits of make-up missed by cleansing alone.

Simple Kind To Skin Protecting Moisture Cream: Having been a fan of the Hydrating Light Moisturiser before, I decided to give this more revamped version a try. Getting older, I am becoming more conscious of using SPF on my face, and although I use a high end moisturiser now, it doesn't contain any. For a cheaper product to contain SPF 30 is fab. I expected it to be thick and heavy on my skin but it sinks in an absolute dream and doesn't leave me looking like an oily mess, it provides the perfect base for make-up.

I'm super pleased with the products, always makes me wonder why I bother spending a fortune on high end things when I can get the same results if not better with much cheaper ones. I'll always recommend Simple products from those just starting out with skincare to those who just want to keep things minimal and basic. And it's perfect for those of you with sensitive skin which is always difficult to try out products for in case of inflicting more damage! Simple products are currently on 3 for 2 in all Boots stall so what better time to stock up?